The Ten-Tails had been completely extracted from Zero-shiki's body by Chiga, and in that instant, the overwhelming aura surrounding him withered, falling to its lowest point.
Unlike what most expected, Zero-shiki didn't die immediately. As the Nine-Tails once explained, a Ten-Tails Jinchuriki is a unique existence. Even if the Ten-Tails is removed, the shell of the Outer Path Demonic Statue typically remains behind to preserve the Jinchuriki's life force.
But this Ten-Tails was different. It hadn't devoured the body of an Ōtsutsuki yet and hadn't taken physical form. There was no shell—no Outer Path Demonic Statue—to stabilize Zero-shiki's body.
Even for someone as powerful and pure-blooded as Zero-shiki, a true member of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the consequences were severe. His skin began to wrinkle and decay, signs of rapid and unnatural aging.
"The Ten-Tails is mine!!!" he screamed, his voice twisted with desperation.
He activated his ocular technique, Omoikane, detaching himself from reality in a last-ditch effort to preserve his life.
From his withering body, countless black tendrils burst forth and latched onto the black mass that Chiga had extracted, attempting to reabsorb the Ten-Tails' immense power.
Chiga reacted swiftly, commanding the Truth-Seeking Orb to strike. However, every orb was blocked by a crimson radiance cloaking Zero-shiki's body.
Seeing this, Zero-shiki smirked in grim satisfaction. If he could keep absorbing power, he'd eventually stabilize and escape this cursed ROOM dimension.
But Chiga wasn't about to let everything fall apart now.
His eyes narrowed, thoughts racing as he observed the tendrils leeching power back into Zero-shiki. Then a bold idea struck him:
"If Zero-shiki can absorb the Ten-Tails, why can't I? Isn't the Ten-Tails the source of the Devil Fruit?"
Without hesitation, Chiga reached out, gripping the pulsing black mass of the Ten-Tails. He activated the Preta Path, unleashing a terrifying suction force from his palm.
The Ten-Tails' energy surged into him like a storm.
Even the portion of chakra that Zero-shiki had barely managed to reclaim was pulled back through the tendrils, redirected straight into Chiga.
Panic overtook Zero-shiki.
"No!! Give it back to me! It's mine! It's all mine!" he screamed, but his cries fell on deaf ears.
Chiga didn't care. In this world, possession meant nothing. Once the Preta Path was engaged, all energy became his. Everything belonged to Uchiha Chiga.
He intensified the absorption. The Ten-Tails' form shrank rapidly in his grip, and Zero-shiki's body shriveled at a terrifying pace.
"Give it back… give it back… it's mine…" he muttered, voice weakening until it faded into silence.
The absorption was complete.
It had taken far longer than consuming a Devil Fruit—unsurprising, given the vastness of the Ten-Tails' energy. Yet Chiga remained unchanged physically, save for one detail:
A blood-red Twelve-Tomoe Rinnegan had opened on his forehead.
More importantly, the power inside him flowed like an unending current. Chiga's expression softened with euphoria, but he quickly pulled himself back to focus.
He glanced at the floating form of Zero-shiki—now little more than a husk with only a single breath left in him.
Chiga had no intention of wasting the Ōtsutsuki's body.
The Ten-Tails, though absorbed, was still alive within him. To become a God Tree and produce the Divine Fruit, it needed nourishment—an Ōtsutsuki host.
Dark energy swirled around Chiga, taking the form of the Ten-Tails' head. Upon seeing Zero-shiki, the Ten-Tails displayed an eerie, human-like mix of greed and hatred. Without waiting for a command, it lunged and devoured Zero-shiki whole. The sickening sound of bones crunching echoed in the void.
Yet, despite devouring Zero-shiki, the Ten-Tails didn't transform into a God Tree or bear fruit. Instead, it simply became more solid.
Chiga frowned, deep in thought.
According to Zero-shiki, this Ten-Tails was formed from the body of Ōtsutsuki Shibai. It was unique, capable of producing Devil Fruits without needing to become a God Tree. But to reach the stage of the ultimate Divine Fruit, a single Ōtsutsuki wasn't enough.
It would need more—much more. The rıghtful source is 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
If it succeeded, the fruit it would bear would be unparalleled. Eating it could elevate Chiga to the status of an Ōtsutsuki God.
And what power would such a being hold?
Perhaps enough to control an entire universe… or more.
Chiga's lips curled into a slight smile. This Ten-Tails had opened a new evolutionary path for him. All that remained was to hunt down more Ōtsutsuki to fuel the transformation.
And now, as the new Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, he had the power to do so.
Zero-shiki had mentioned it before—this Ten-Tails could travel across dimensions. He never got the chance to use it, having only recently escaped from Im's seal. He'd planned to feed Chiga to the beast before anything else.
But Chiga was faster.
With this dimensional ability, he could return to the Naruto World—a world brimming with Ōtsutsuki.
A devious smile spread across his face.
The Ōtsutsuki, who once hunted civilizations for sport, were now destined to become prey themselves.
Chiga raised his eyes to the crimson sun above. The Twelve-Tomoe Rinnegan on his forehead flared, releasing a pulse of invisible power.
The Rinnegan mark on the sun faded slowly. Its hue softened, returning to the warm yellow of a normal star.
Across the world, cocooned bodies dissolved, and people stirred awake. They blinked, confused, then gradually understood what had happened.
And they fell to their knees—all of them—worshipping the one who had saved them.
What Chiga hadn't expected was how the Infinite Tsukuyomi reflected its creator's intent. When Madara cast it, his vision was of a peaceful world. But Zero-shiki had a far more twisted mind.
In his version, people dreamed of nothing but darkness, with a red sun looming above. And in that dream, Zero-shiki had mocked them, telling them their bodies were already being consumed, and death was inevitable.
But then Chiga appeared within the dreamscape and ended the illusion.
They saw him—he who closed the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He who stood alone against despair.
And to the world, Uchiha Chiga became not just a savior.